A major reason behind the axing of Yuvraj Singh from the ODI team was his fitness. With the bat, Yuvraj didn’t perform too poorly this year, having won two Man of the Match awards for his performances in 2017. Averaging over 40 with the bat in 2017, one can say that more than his form, it was his fitness which eventually cost him a place in the squad.
The Yo-Yo endurance test conducted by the Indian think tank before the Sri Lanka series was a tight affair for the southpaw, as his results were much lower than the expected benchmark. Coach Ravi Shastri though did mention recently that if Yuvraj worked out on his fitness, the doors were always open for him to make a comeback into the playing XI.
It seems that the fan favourite has already begun on his mission to make a comeback into the side. In a video uploaded by Yuvraj on Instagram, he gives a peek into his gruelling endurance routine. He is shown doing an array of drills in the video, and below is the video.
Yuvraj’s replacement, Manish Pandey spoke to the media on the sidelines in Bangalore and said that he was keen to make his chances at number four count.
“I think I’m one of the guys who is getting his chances right now. I think I should be focusing on trying to use the situation and use the opportunities I have in my hand and do well for myself and the team,” Pandey said.